Compassion, Care, and Responsibility: A Religious Education Triumvirate?
Abstract
a.) Motivations and influences behind your research:
To date, very little scholarly work has been done in the area of linking Nel Noddings’ conception of relational care to either compassion, religious education, or, indeed, Levinasian responsibility. It seems to me that the three core concepts to be considered in this paper – compassion, care, and responsibility – are intrinsic to the religious education classroom, particularly within the context of the Christian school. Thus, the main motivation underlying this research is a desire to open up a new avenue for discussion which, at least as I envisage it, create a space for a positive re-imagination of the nature, purpose, and function of Catholic religious education.
b.) Core question(s) of the research:
-
What can Noddings’ account of relational care contribute to our understanding of Catholic religious education?
-
How can the Christian value of compassion enhance Noddings’ care theory approach to education?
-
To what extent does the Levinasian account of responsibility create a bridge between the concepts of compassion and care?
-
What are the benefits of espousing a caring, compassionate, and responsible approach to Catholic religious education?
c.) Main points of discussion:
This paper seeks to explore the links between the Christian value of compassion, Nel Noddings’ account of relational care, and Emmanuel Levinas’ account of responsibility. In so doing, I seek to investigate how the interweaving of these concepts could contribute to a positive reconceptualisation of the nature, purpose and function of Catholic religious education. The main points for discussing which should arise from this paper are:
-
Whether or not appealing to Noddings’ account of care (given the largely secular terms in which it is articulated) is appropriate in the context of Catholic religious education.
-
Can Noddings’ reciprocal account of care be reconciled with Levinas’ non-reciprocal account of responsibility?
-
What might constitute a caring, compassionate, and responsible approach to religious education?
-
How might Catholic religious education be benefitted by a caring, compassionate, and responsible approach?
d.) Signs of grace in your pursuit of this research:
In the Letter to the Colossions, St. Paul emphasises the centrality of compassion in Christian life: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (3: 12). It strikes me that compassion is one of the many gifts of God’s grace and, as such, it is an essential value at the heart of Catholic religious education. At a practical level – and though it is neither a theological nor a Christian expression of such – Noddings’ account of relational care allows to consider how such compassion might be implemented within the classroom context. Additionally, the Levinasian account of responsibility (which is largely derived from both scriptural sources and the Jewish tradition) brings us close to the Christian call to love of one’s neighbour. By bringing these three concepts together and relating them to Catholic religious education, I am of the view that my work also appeals to grace as a source of strength for the religious educator.
Compassion, Care, and Responsibility: A Religious Education Triumvirate?
a.) Motivations and influences behind your research:
To date, very little scholarly work has been done in the area of linking Nel Noddings’ conception of relational care to either compassion, religious education, or, indeed, Levinasian responsibility. It seems to me that the three core concepts to be considered in this paper – compassion, care, and responsibility – are intrinsic to the religious education classroom, particularly within the context of the Christian school. Thus, the main motivation underlying this research is a desire to open up a new avenue for discussion which, at least as I envisage it, create a space for a positive re-imagination of the nature, purpose, and function of Catholic religious education.
b.) Core question(s) of the research:
-
What can Noddings’ account of relational care contribute to our understanding of Catholic religious education?
-
How can the Christian value of compassion enhance Noddings’ care theory approach to education?
-
To what extent does the Levinasian account of responsibility create a bridge between the concepts of compassion and care?
-
What are the benefits of espousing a caring, compassionate, and responsible approach to Catholic religious education?
c.) Main points of discussion:
This paper seeks to explore the links between the Christian value of compassion, Nel Noddings’ account of relational care, and Emmanuel Levinas’ account of responsibility. In so doing, I seek to investigate how the interweaving of these concepts could contribute to a positive reconceptualisation of the nature, purpose and function of Catholic religious education. The main points for discussing which should arise from this paper are:
-
Whether or not appealing to Noddings’ account of care (given the largely secular terms in which it is articulated) is appropriate in the context of Catholic religious education.
-
Can Noddings’ reciprocal account of care be reconciled with Levinas’ non-reciprocal account of responsibility?
-
What might constitute a caring, compassionate, and responsible approach to religious education?
-
How might Catholic religious education be benefitted by a caring, compassionate, and responsible approach?
d.) Signs of grace in your pursuit of this research:
In the Letter to the Colossions, St. Paul emphasises the centrality of compassion in Christian life: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (3: 12). It strikes me that compassion is one of the many gifts of God’s grace and, as such, it is an essential value at the heart of Catholic religious education. At a practical level – and though it is neither a theological nor a Christian expression of such – Noddings’ account of relational care allows to consider how such compassion might be implemented within the classroom context. Additionally, the Levinasian account of responsibility (which is largely derived from both scriptural sources and the Jewish tradition) brings us close to the Christian call to love of one’s neighbour. By bringing these three concepts together and relating them to Catholic religious education, I am of the view that my work also appeals to grace as a source of strength for the religious educator.